Wordless Wednesday

"We deliver everything but the baby."

~ Diapers.com

Grammy's Visit

My mom, aka Grammy, came to visit this past weekend.  She got here Thursday night, so of course we had to bake yummy chocolate chip cookies! 

Grammy kept Jack on Friday while we were working.  They played and played and she even braved the grocery store with him in tow.  I hardly ever take him to the grocery store, and he certainly doesn't go when I have a long list of things to get.  But they survived and she said he did really well sitting in the buggy and all the old ladies at the grocery store just loved him.  Of course!  Ha!

I ran to Old Navy Saturday morning and when I got home Jack and Grammy wanted to check out my goods.  Jack really didn't care what I bought, but he sure did love that receipt.  I swear that child is part billy goat!  He's constantly trying to get his hands on some paper.

Saturday night, Grammy kept Jack so Randy and I could go to the races.  We had a good time.  It's the first time I've ever been to the track without Jack and it was so much easier.  No baby gear, no baby food, no baby... Since we've had Jack, Randy and I have only been out together without him 3 times, so it was definitely a nice little break!  Thanks Mama for keeping him for us.  We really appreciate it!

Grammy got up bright and early Sunday morning, fed Jack and she was ready to hit the road.  Life with a 10 month old will wear you out!! 

Farmer Jack

Santa brought Jack a Fisher-Price farm for Christmas and the other night we finally got it down and put it together for him.  I was afraid if we waited too much longer, he would out grow it before he ever got to play with it, plus I feel like he gets tired of playing with the same ole toys everyday!

I think he likes it.  He is learning how to push the buttons, open and close the gate and play with the animals to make it sing and talk. 

 

Is this how I do it?

And he loves to crawl back and forth through the gate.

That "tomato" tastes pretty good too!

But even though he has this cool, new farm, he would rather be playing and beating on this...

Look at how filthy the glass is from his little grimy hand prints and slobber. 

Silly boy!

In Full Swing

My mom was here visiting this weekend, so the party planning is in FULL SWING!  In 5 1/2 weeks we will be celebrating Jack's first birthday!  I can hardly believe it's been almost a year since he was born.  The time has gone so quickly!! 

Here's a quick preview of what we did last weekend. 

Click HERE to see the rest of our plans.

All of our shopping sacks!

Banner in progress...

Almost done, I just need to add the letters.

It will say "Happy Birthday Jack"

Displayware for food.  We plan to have chips, hamburgers, hot dogs and a banana split bar.  We'll have a fabulous birthday cake too!

I've ordered a super cute bib and birthday hat for my special little boy that will match our "Beach Monkey" theme perfectly.  I'm so excited about his party and I hope it's a blast, even though he will not really "remember" we'll have plenty of pictures to remind him how special his 1st Birthday truly was!!!

And now Jack and Grammy...

Apparently she has passed on her love for Diet DP to my son! Ha!!

(No he is not drinking soda, only playing with the bottle.)

Me, Mama and Jack - he loves this bottle and the keys!

Randy's mom came to visit this weekend too, but I don't have any pictures to post.  Jack had a great time with his GG and is so happy she was able to spend some time with him.  Jack is one lucky little boy to have two grandmas who love him so much!  And, Ran and I are so lucky to have wonderful mamas to help out every now and then!!!!  We love yall so much!

Oh, one more thing (mostly for my memory), Jack took his first steps yesterday!!!  He tried to walk from the couch to the love seat twice.  He wasn't holding on to anything and after a few steps kinda fell forward to grab on to the love seat, but he did take steps nonetheless.  I was so excited and scared!  I don't know if we're ready for a walker yet.  But he is getting so close.  He can walk really well just holding on with one hand.  And one more note, we had to "baby proof" the fire place.  Randy put plexiglass over it on Sunday because Jack had decided insulation, grit and grime tasted pretty good.  HA!

Not the most classy fireplace on the block, but it works and is much cheaper than a trip to the ER!

Happy Friday!

 

1. If you could go back to college would you change your major? Or, if you were to go to college right now...what major would you choose?

YES!  I declared 3 different majors before finally graduating with the 4th. 

First - Chemical Engineering.  Crazy, right!  But, a chemical engineer could make a lot of money, or continue on to dental school.  Engineering only lasted one semester.

Second - Biochemistry.  Still on the road to dental school.  I think this lasted 2, maybe 3 semesters.

Third - Food and Nutrition.  Become a Registered Dietitian or go to Dental School.  I continued with this major for a while, but somewhere along the way changed majors again.

Fourth and Final - Restaurant, Hotel and Institutional Management.  Let's just say this was REALLY easy and I liked to party alot have fun.  School definitely was not my first priority at that time.  And, although I love my job, I sometimes wonder what life would be like had I continued on the path to dental school.  I would most likely be just beginning my practice as an orthodontist. 

Would have, should have, could have...

2. What do you love most about your home?

This is a tough one.  I love our house, just not the floors or countertops, but hopefully one day that will all be replaced.  On to the question at hand.  I definitely LOVE Jack's Room.  I think it is just an adorable little boy's room and the pictures on the wall are my favorite!  I also LOVE the island in the kitchen.  It is perfect for making tamales; although, I'm not sure that is allowed anymore since I almost burned down the house when I fell asleep while steaming them (in my defense, I was pregnant at the time) and all that lard can't be good for the plumbing! HA!  I also LOVE our backyard and patio.  We spend lots of time out there.

3. What types of books do you like to read (if you like to read at all)?

The only books I read are children's books to Jack.  Does that count?  I do enjoy a Parenting magazine or cookbook every now and then.

4. What is the grossest thing you've ever eaten?

Sweetbread!  I was at a training in NY and was at a fancy dinner with the President of my company.  (Remember I am from a small TX town and am usually a pretty picky eater.)  My friend wanted me to try a bite of his sweetbreads.  I assumed that sweetbread was actually a sweet, tasty bread.  Was I ever wrong!!  I thought I was going to puck right there at the table!

5. If you HAD to be a character on a TV show, whom would you be?

Oh my, I have no idea.

Happy Friday!!

We Haven't Disappeared!

No, we haven't disappeared or fallen off the face of the Earth, we've just been enjoying life.  And, sometimes I don't want to can't find time to blog every little detail of our quite boring, but fun days.  Randy's been grilling and I've just been hanging out. 

My Favorite Grill Master!

Jack hasn't missed too many meals, so if we can ever get dinner ready before he goes to bed, I'm sure he'll LOVE his daddy's grilling too!  Occasionally, if he's still awake at our suppertime, I will share my burger or pork or chicken with him.  He's still iffy with solid food other than crackers, but we're working on it!

Randy's yummy everything-but-the-kitchen-sink burgers*

Doesn't get much better than grilled shrimp and filet mignon!

Ready for supper!

Randy smoked a brisket, some chickens and fresh corn on the cob this past weekend.  It was so good!  We grill corn on the cob almost everytime we grill now.  Fresh, sweet corn is the best!  I look forward to it every summer and it is so cheap and easy.  The perfect accompaniment to any meal, in my opinion!

The smoker working its magic!

We took the brisket to Scott's house for Memorial day and I made chicken salad out of the left over chicken.  I thought it was really good!  Jack also went swimming for the first time Sunday, but all the pictures are on Kim's camera.  He wasn't a fan of the pool, it was still a little cold and by the time I got him in the water the sun was behind the clouds, so it was kinda chilly.  He did love the hot tub though!  He was splashing around and not scared at all.  I guess he thought he was in a big bathtub! HA!

Jack can now stand for a little while without holding on to anything.  The time he stands alone is getting longer and longer everyday.  He's so funny to watch.  Once he realizes that he's not holding on to anything he'll start clapping.  So cute!  He hasn't tried to take any steps without holding on to something yet, but I know it's coming soon.  He can walk holding only one of my hands.  Oh my, we are going to really be in trouble when he can walk!!

And since he is getting so big, I finally got to use the cute dinosaur cookie cutter on his grilled cheese sandwich the other day!  I was pretty excited about this!!  My mom bought this for me before Jack was even born I think.  Heather always cuts Lily's sandwiches into cute shapes, so I've been looking forward to it for a while now.  Crazy, I know!  HA!

Pooped after a long day!

I'm sure there are more things I could ramble on about, but I think I've bored you enough for one day! 

* Randy's Burgers

(since this is his concoction, I'm just guessing what goes in it, but I'm sure however you adapt the recipe, it will be delicious!)

2 lbs ground beef (usually 93/7)

1 small diced yellow onion

1-2 diced jalapenos (depends how hot they are)

2 eggs (I think - maybe just one)

a touch of syrup

a touch of brown sugar

1 pkg Lipton onion soup mix

spices (any steak spice mixture will do)

sometimes a little mustard

a little teriyaki

and who knows what else!

Mix everything together, make patties and grill. 

He usually puts some smoke chips in with the charcoal.

Baby Proofing on a Budget

So, we get home from breakfast this morning and Jack is crawling all over the place when Randy informs me he has an "idea".  We put up a few baby gates a couple of months ago, but we have an opening from the living room that goes to our bedroom and the front of the house and Babies R Us doesn't really make a gate to that fits it, so Randy had come up with his own solution.

Yep, that's my coffee table turned on it's side to block the opening.  So far it is working, but it is a little inconvenient that I have to walk through the kitchen and around the living room to get to my bedroom, but I guess it's worth it for Jack to be contained!

So, there you have it, baby proofing on a budget! HA!  At least now Jack has a wide open space in the living room to play. 

Someday my coffee table will return to it's home in front of my couch.